Stanthorne Wood beyond Middlewich

With a temperature of 30°C forecast we rose at 7am and were on the move in search of shade by 8am. We found it amongst Stanthorne Woods; a short stretch of mature woodland through which the canal ran. We were very happy to be moored up by 9am, with the relavent doors and windows open and the relevant blinds closed.

Even when the trees didn't directly shade Rainboat, there was a noticeable cooling effect in their proximity. Whiskers hopped off almost immediately and went down the bank to explore. He spent most of the next two days on the woodland floor, popping back from time to time for fuss, water and food.

After a while, Will took our hammock and kobo and joined Whiskers, swinging gently too and fro between the boughs.

A boat will cool faster than a house, for which we are grateful on hot nights, but we found ourselves having to close all the windows to try and muffle the kee-wick calls of Tawny Owls. Leo is not a fan! This, together with the sporadic car horns blaring from the nearby beeping bridge meant we didn't get much sleep.

The next day Will cycled to Middlewich in search of lunch. The Cheshire Cheese pub didn't do food, nor did the Kings Lock, but the latter was happy for Will to buy something from the next door Kings Lock chippy and eat it while having a pint, so that's what he did.

That afternoon the clouds had thickened and there were sporadic downpours. We enjoyed a dry few hours with Will fishing off the stern and Vicky sitting out with the dogs on the towpath, weeding, planting seeds and flowers in our rooftop troughs. She even spotted a Goldcrest just 3m away! We were so proud of the dogs, especially Leo who stayed nearby and came back when called. He even lay down towards the end; something he's not previously felt comfortable doing outside.

We're now enjoying french marigolds, fuscia, geranium, lavender and self seeded viola and marigold flowers. We'll keep our eyes open for sprouts of chard, courgette, salad leaves, wildflowers, marigold and cultivated bindweed. Keep your fingers crossed for us! 🤞Read more